Sunday market a major attraction in Srinagar

The Sunday Market of Srinagar is today a big draw for people residing in the vicinity of popular Lal Chowk here. The retail bazaar offers goods at competitive rates.

By Afzal Butt

Srinagar, Dec.6 : The Sunday Market of Srinagar is today a big draw for people residing in the vicinity of popular Lal Chowk here. The retail bazaar offers goods at competitive rates.

About two-kilometres long, the make-shift market is laid out along the up town fashionable shopping area stretching from the Tourist Reception Center (TRC) to the popular city centre Lal Chowk.

Thousands of customers visit the Sunday market that has 800 to 1,000 makeshift stalls set up here every Sunday.

At the outset, the Sunday market was all about clothes. Today, the same market deals n a variety of household products including kitchenware, footwear, carpets, blankets, jackets besides clothes.

"It is a very good market and the things available here are pretty cheap. A lot of things are available here for the common man at very reasonable prices. I suggest people should come here and shop," said Zahoor Ahmad, a customer.

The customers say that the cheap products available at the market are of reasonable quality.

"Some five to six years ago, this market was not a developed at all. Earlier, we used to have just clothes. Today, we have leather crockery, blankets, curtains, jackets, sweaters, caps, socks," said Adil Ahmad, the President of Sunday Market and a wholesale dealer.

Products made in Japan, Korea and USA products are available at the market.

Sunday market has employed about 1,200 youngsters as support staff. These youngsters work here on Sunday and rest of the week they remain busy with sorting and arranging goods required on the weekend. Goods are also supplied to far off localities.

The wholesale market has a monthly turnover of around rupees 16 to 17 crores (4.05 million to 4.31 dollars) a month, Adil Ahmad informed.

ANI